His Final Betrayal
by Pandora's Imp
Summary: Summary: Abigail's thoughts when she finds out she's engaged. Winner of the Apple's Pick a Princess Challenge. Prompt: Princess, Betrayal, Persevere, Triumph, Tragedy


**HIS FINAL BETRAYAL**

She had become a master of hiding her emotions. A skill she honed over the years as she watched the curse transform her father, who she loved so dearly, into the monster he now was.

It started out of love for him. When his curse took her mother, she could see how devastated he was and did not want to add to his guilt, so she grieved in silence and alone, holding onto hope that they would find a way to bring her back.

However years passed and as the man her father was slowly disappeared, so did interest in finding a cure. Soon she kept quiet out of fear of meeting the same fate.

He called his touch a gift although she knew better. Even with all the riches it brought, she knew the cost would be too much. For her it was always a curse and it had taken everything.

Perhaps the burden of guilt was too much for her father to bear and that's what changed him or perhaps his greed consumed him and he could not see how better life would be without it.

Those who suggested he would be better off were met with anger, sometimes death, or worse they were added to his horrible collection of statues.

She faltered when the curse took Frederick. She couldn't contain herself. He was her love, he was her future. All her hopes, all her plans, all the things she treasured were gone in an instant.

Still, despite it all, she never stopped believing that somewhere the part of her father that loved her was still there.

That died when she heard why she was summoned before King George and his son.

"May I present my daughter, Abigail. Beyond gold – beyond anything – I value her most. I promised her I would only give her hand in marriage when I could find a companion worthy of her. And now, I have."

He promised her different.

"And so, Prince James, I offer you my daughter's hand in marriage."

He lied.

The champion was supposed to be the one who would save her Frederick. At least that's what he told her. She could see now what a fool she was to believe. He never intended on trying to save Frederick. He told her that so she would stop mourning in her room and worrying his subjects.

She knows she said something at some point, although she doesn't know what. Thankfully it must have been acceptable as it caused no stir.

It took every ounce of energy she had to maintain her cool demeanor. She was livid, she was heartbroken and she was terrified. How could he lie to her like that? How could he give her away without even consulting her as if she was a thing and not his daughter? A daughter he knew could not love any other man except the one he took.

She would question him on it later, in private. To not say anything would raise his suspicions. He would have his reasons. He would tell her Frederick had been gone for a while and it pained him to see her wasting away in grief. He'd tell her it was time to move on. She would agree but it would be an act. Her loyalty was to Frederick, she has none left for him. She would let him know that while she wasn't happy she would accept his judgment because he knew best. Playing his ego always worked well.

She eyed her new fiancé. He was handsome enough and obviously brave but he wasn't Frederick and that's all that mattered. She was surprised and hopeful at his reluctance to say yes. Perhaps he could be an ally to her but it was too soon to tell.

She had to be careful and play along until she could figure a way out. She had men loyal to her and loyal to Frederick. Her father would no doubt want an extravagant wedding. That would give her time to keep trying to save him. There was still the lake. If they could bring him back, perhaps her father would honor their first agreement and allow her to marry Frederick. He did after all sacrifice himself to save her father and was highly respected among the military. King George would not be happy but he seemed like the type who could be placated with enough gold and that's one thing they had plenty of.

The prince was the one she was unsure of. There was something different about him. Humble is how the King had put it but there was something else. She had seen her share of royalty in her life. They had varying personalities, some generous, some cruel but all carried themselves with a certain degree of entitlement that this prince was missing.

So much to do, so many unknowns but there was one thing she did know with absolute certainty.

Frederick was the only one for her and she would die before she married another.

Notes:

This was written for the Apple Challenge community on LiveJournal. The theme was Pick a Princess.

Prompts were: Princess, Betrayal, Persevere, Triumph, Tragedy


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